Lost Boys Take 2 (Halloween Variation 06)
by Lucifer Rosemaunt
Summary: Short ficlet variations on a theme: Halloween meet cute. Different verse, but same premise more or less. Raoul gets lost. Modern!AU. ErikRaoul pre-slash.


Title: Lost Boys Take 2 (Halloween Variation 06)  
><span>Author<span>: Lucifer Rosemaunt

Summary: Short ficlet variations on a theme: Halloween meet cute. Different verse, but same premise more or less. Raoul gets lost.  
><span>Fandom<span>: Phantom of the Opera  
><span>Pairing(s)Character(s): pre-slash Erik/Raoul  
>Warning(s): modern!AU, gory (though not our characters)<br>Word Count: 2,813  
><span>Rating<span>: T

o.o.o.o

Corn.

There were no words to describe how much Raoul hated corn right now.

Being surrounded by tall stalks of the only vegetable in the world that he would prefer to be popped rather than steamed was probably the driving factor for this newfound hatred, especially when said vegetable created a barrier between him and the rest of civilization. He had given the girls a fifteen minute head start on solving the corn maze, but that had been about two hours ago when the sun had just been setting. Now, he was simply lost inside a corn maze in darkness only punctuated by beams of halogen lights strategically placed above him such that they provided nothing more than an increase of shadows. About an hour ago, he had stopped worrying about the girls and began worrying about himself. It was selfish, but at least they had each other. Raoul had… corn.

The gibbous moon hung overhead and in certain dead ends of the maze – and Raoul was certain he had found most if not all of them – you could see a multitude of stars.

He had been luckier earlier and had run across other lost souls like himself, but in his conceit, he only ever tried to follow them at a distance, pretending he had not been hopelessly lost. He was regretting that decision now since he had managed to lose track of the last couple he had been following, somehow turning the wrong corner to yet another dead end. The few voices he heard now were so far away he could only guess which turn to take to head in the same direction, and guess he did.

It did not help that the maze was filled with surprises: hanging bodies on spikes, human-sized spiders, werewolf figures, and other things that screamed and jumped out at him. There _were _supposed to be real actors as well, and Raoul had reached the point where if he came across any sign of human life, he was not above asking for directions or desperately begging for help. He was cold, lost, and his cellphone was dead. He had maybe reached the point where at twenty years of age, he would not be above admitting how worried he was that he was going to die in this maze. He had so much to live for.

He turned a corner that looked like every other corner he had taken and was surprised to find it was not a dead end. As he walked down the corn corridor, he heard a rustling behind him. Fear warring with hope was a strange feeling. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw nothing and the only reason he started walking faster was only because he thought this was the right path. It had nothing to do with that strange sound that could have easily been the wind or even a bird. It _could _be a person, someone potentially able to help him escape the maze, Raoul knew, but there was an irrational part of him that also knew it could be something that would potentially rip his throat open and leave him to bleed to death.

There was now an abundance of reasons why he should not have let his brother convince him to watch that slasher movie marathon with him. So, when the rustling only sounded closer, Raoul broke out into a sprint against his better judgment, turning corners arbitrarily just hoping against hope that it would not be a dead end. Of course, that would be when he ran headfirst into a dead end with an eviscerated body hanging half out of the corn, as though a beast were still chewing on him as recorded screams blared through speakers in disconcerting surround sound. It was not loud enough, however, to mask the sound of footsteps coming his way.

He turned to look the way he came and stood there tensely, but nothing moved in the shadows.

When a voice sounded by his ear, he screamed and stumbled away. He was still screaming when he heard his name.

"Raoul?"

There, by the gory mannequin, stood a man that Raoul was absolutely certain had not been there earlier, and scanning the corn wall, he could not figure out how the stranger had somehow crept behind him.

"Holy crap!" Raoul pointed at him accusatorily. "What the hell? Who are you?"

The man smirked and Raoul knew he had scared him on purpose, but the stranger was not holding anything that looked remotely sharp even though the three-piece suit he wore was bloody and had a large tear near his abdomen. It revealed what had to be silicone and makeup for the gaping wound that oozed with blood. The white, porcelain half-mask he wore was the cleanest thing on him, and Raoul was not sure if that was comforting or not.

"Wait. Why do you know my name?"

The masked, bloody man walked closer to him and Raoul resisted the urge to back up. He knew he would only run into a corn wall, but there was something about this stranger that made the relief he felt at having another person present somehow tempered with the slightest bit of fear. Maybe it was because of the way he walked, stalking forward as though Raoul were prey. The man was comfortable in the maze, in the darkness and he was undoubtedly self-assured. The closer he got, the more Raoul realized he was shorter than the man.

"I work here," he offered.

Raoul laughed nervously, that fact somehow not as comforting as he would hope. "I'd hope so," he commented, gesturing to his outfit.

When he was close enough, the masked man held out a hand for a handshake, "My name is Erik. I was sent to help you out of the maze."

Raoul eyed his gloved hand and knew he must have made a face at the fake blood on it because Erik took off the glove and offered his hand again.

Feeling embarrassed at his paranoid behaviour, Raoul did not think twice before shaking his hand. "Hi," he said meekly. The warmth that enclosed his hand made him realize just how cold he was, having wandered around the maze for hours. "I _am_ Raoul and I'll be your rescuee for the evening."

He received a fake smile for that joke, and surprisingly, that was what made Raoul relax. His attitude was definitely one of a disgruntled employee having to once again fetch some wayward customer.

Erik gestured down the corridor and began walking. "It will take about forty-five minutes to get out of here."

Raoul kept pace with his brisk walk as they moved through the corn. He made sure to walk almost beside him, but a slight step behind in order to keep him in sight. "As long as we get out of here, I don't care how long it takes." He received no response, and he kept the silence for as long as he could manage, for what certainly felt like an hour. When Raoul checked his watch, only five minutes had passed, and he was reaching his breaking point when it came to listening to recorded screams and bird caws. "So," he said, "how did you know where to find me?"

He watched the man's face, but all he received was a sidelong glance before Erik turned his attention back towards the corn maze.

"I didn't" was his curt reply.

And Raoul winced, thinking that it must have been a pain to search for a single man in a large maze. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Erik asked and Raoul made a face at that, wondering if the man was just pretending he hadn't been bothered by having to search for a pathetic person lost in the maze or if he just looked annoyed by default.

"Having to take time off to look for me?" Raoul supplied.

Erik made a sudden left that Raoul was too slow to notice so the older man had to physically nudge him in the right direction. Raoul had a brief moment of wonderful warmth before there was more than respectful distance between them. He wrapped his arms around himself and suppressed a shiver rather poorly.

Erik glanced his direction before scoffing. "It happens every now and then. We get a call. This is my job."

"True," Raoul conceded, undeterred by the man's attitude in what was obviously an attempt to end the conversation. The reassurance of talking was less obvious than walking close enough to be able to grab the man. "You were the lucky one to find me then, huh?" Most of the lights in this portion of the maze seemed to have either been purposefully or accidentally turned off. He was not finding the change of scenery very comforting. "Uh, do you enjoy it?"

Silence was once again his only response and Raoul was certain Erik was going to just ignore him. While he struggled to think of other things to say, he sidled the slightest bit closer to him. After all, it was getting darker and quieter and he did not want to question if the man was taking them in the right direction.

"Enjoy what?" Erik said distractedly.

"Working the carnival," Raoul explained, glad for the distraction but deciding proximity was even better. "Like, do you travel with them and stuff?"

"It's work."

Raoul looked over his shoulder when he heard a rustle and ran into a solid body. The masked man had stopped at a fork in the passageway, and Raoul wanted to laugh at the proverbial choice laid before them. The path on the right was lit slightly better, there were less cobwebs and the path was clearer; the one on the left was dark, Raoul could already see the beginnings of something that looked canine ready to pop out, and the path looked less trodden.

Erik, obviously, chose the one on the left.

"True, but it's interesting work." Raoul paused and realizing that his companion was not going to respond willingly, decided to continue, "It must be rough though when it's not Halloween and then when it is, with all the kids that run around and I'm sure you've accidentally gotten hit before jumping out to scare people." He jumped, once again bumping into Erik when a werewolf jumped out of the corn at them. He managed to embarrass himself further by tripping over his own feet so that Erik had to grab onto his arm in order to steady him. "Ha," he tried to play it off, but getting lost in the maze was already a low point in his life, so he admitted, "I actually really hate this scary stuff."

"I would never have realized," Erik deadpanned and Raoul honestly laughed at his response, pleased that the man's hand was still on his arm.

"So, is there like a time limit before you send up the bat signal to go out and find lost souls?"

"There are workers around available. Usually," he said pointedly, "people don't get so lost that they can't find one of those people."

"Personally," Raoul shot back, "It sounds like a design flaw."

"It normally isn't."

Grinning, Raoul said, "I'm just that special then." He leaned towards his companion and that is when Erik seemed to remember he was still holding his arm and let go with enough force that Raoul was pushed away.

"I don't doubt that," Erik said gruffly.

"No really though," Raoul said, "do you live around here or do you travel with the carnival because I have to say there have been several times when I was a kid that I'd considered running away and joining a travelling circus or something."

"This isn't a circus."

"Close enough. It's the heart of the matter, right?" Raoul grinned, hands gesticulating. "Travelling and seeing places, although I do think I'd miss having a place I'd call home." His arm grazed the man's shoulder. "Although I guess a trailer could be considered a home and that wouldn't be horrible."

"I only work the season. Traveling takes getting used to."

"You mean you don't like it."

Erik glanced at him. "I didn't say that."

"But you meant it," Raoul said proudly. "So, you live here? Where…?" He looked smug for all of a few seconds before a large spider dropped from above them. He screamed and grabbed onto Erik, who had the gall to smirk at him once more.

Raoul pouted and moved slightly away. Still, he grabbed a fistful of his jacket as they continued walking, waiting for the other man to tell him to let go.

When nothing came, he kept his grip tight, actually calmer for the small connection. "Wait," Raoul realized, "If there's no time limit or something and I just wasn't around anyone, how did you know I was lost?"

"Two young ladies were worried that you weren't answering your phone and that you hadn't come out yet." Erik said, voice a little terse, "One of them, Christine I think, mentioned your dislike for anything horror."

Raoul frowned and tugged a bit with his hand on Erik's jacket to get his attention. "She didn't say it like that," he asked matter-of-factly, already knowing the answer. "Did she?"

"In far less words."

Raoul sighed exaggeratedly.

"Trying to impress women will always get you in trouble."

"Who says I was trying to impress them?" Raoul asked, "And my cellphone died when I tried using the GPS."

Erik gave him a look. "How would GPS have even helped?"

"They dared me," Raoul said instead and could hear the whine in his own voice. It was not like he did not know GPS would not have helped in the maze, but he could at least tell if he was getting farther from where he thought the exit was. "And, well… you didn't see the way they were saying I wouldn't do it. I _had _to."

Part of the corn maze toppled towards him, threatening to crush him as a fake zombie arm waved overhead, and he jerked Erik closer to him. The corn remained at an angle, suspended and no closer to falling completely.

"Best decision of the night I'm sure," Erik commented wryly.

Raoul cleared his throat but did not bother moving further away from his guide. Biting his lip, he considered his situation. He was currently in a maze, holding onto a man that did not mind his rather logical fear of things that were frightening and who, if Raoul thought about it, was handsome if a little gruff. He muttered, "I've made worse."

Erik glanced down at him and Raoul watched his throat move before his tongue wet his bottom lip. He really was expecting to be pushed away. It was a good enough excuse to cling to a handsome stranger in a horror maze but Raoul knew he was pushing his luck. But he was cold and a little mad and he was already well past the point of worrying about embarrassing himself further to care enough to be shy.

However, when Erik looked away without a word, Raoul took the hint and moved a slight distance away, even going so far as to release his jacket. Without the connection, he felt uneasy and hugged his arms to his chest instead, hoping to conserve some warmth and find some comfort.

"Is it much further, you think?" When he glanced at Erik, he noticed his hands were balled into fists at his sides, and he hated to think that he had pissed off his only guide out of this stupid corn maze.

"Still a bit farther." Erik did not start moving though and Raoul really did worry that the masked man was planning the best way to leave him behind. It was little comfort that Raoul was certain he was be able to keep up if Erik did decide to run, but he would rather prefer them to going back to awkward questions and a one-sided conversation.

Then, Erik said, "You can hold onto me if it makes you feel better."

Raoul hesitated; Erik had spoken grudgingly and refused to make eye contact. It felt like yet another trap of the maze, but when their eyes eventually met for the briefest of seconds, Raoul could not help but grin, grabbing a fistful of jacket at the man's lower back. He was brave enough to press close to him as well.

"Lead on, good Sir."

Erik did not say anything, but they did start moving again.

"Let's trade stories," Raoul said, suddenly grateful for his bad sense of direction, "You talk to me about working this maze and I can tell you about the time Christine and Meg said I wouldn't be able to tread water for two hours in the lake without using my hands. Trust me. It's a worthwhile trade."

o.o.o.o

End ficlet

A/N: (This is not the greatest of fics, I know. Apologies for that. It's rushed and rough and meh. Life is hard.) I apparently have a thing for Raoul getting lost and Erik finding him. I also seem to believe that Christine and Meg will always dare Raoul to do something because they know he can be easily convinced to do it. Also, I think they do it so that they can spend the rest of the time together alone – nothing against Raoul of course, but Meg does not quite believe he's over Christine and she wants to protect her best friend. So, sometimes, she'll convince Christine to dare Raoul to do things. Also, head!canon persists with Raoul begin able to talk about everything and nothing for long durations of time.

Fic Review: Why did I suddenly want Erik to be an actual ghost from that corn maze instead of an employee? And he was leading Raoul in circles just to spend more time with him contemplating whether he wanted to kill him or not in order to keep a companion. But Raoul starts being super thankful and nice to him and Erik feels guilty as all hell, especially when Raoul promises to come back to the carnival again tomorrow to keep him company and maybe do the maze again. It did not go that route. Thankfully? (At about word 1200 I realized it would have probably been a way more interesting story if it had gone that route, but I had gone too far as it was.)

Also, I'm a firm believer of the fact that Erik was at first taking the most direct route out of the maze until Raoul started talking and clinging to him and then Erik's like, we're going to make this last as long as possible and started taking them around random turns. Erik does in fact live in the same town as Raoul and Christine and has crossed paths with both of them. He has yet to make real contact even though he has admired Christine from afar. He rather prefers to admire Raoul from up close though. :D


End file.
